Air sealed casket



Oct, 12, 1937.' .1. CLARKE 2,095,691

AIR SEALED GASKET-A Filed April 25, 1934 glu/vento@ Jeff/v (ZIM/ns Patented Oct. 12, 1937 PATEjNr ortica AIR SEALED oAsKE'r l John Clarke, Edinburg, Ind.` Application April 23, 1934, SerialNo. 721,993

` claims. (c1. 27-25 UNITED .STATES The'invention is an -air-sealed'casket andis more especially a casket having vault features, such casket serving to keep` the body contained therein dry in any grave, and the device consists 5 substantially in the construction and arrangement of parts disclosed in -the accompanying drawing, and pointed out more particularly in' the claims.

It is a primary object of the invention to prol vide a structure embodying casket features adapted to receive and support the body, said structure having the ornamental casket appearance when open and exposing the body to View, and havingthe characteristics of an air-sealed l5 burial vault when closed.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a metallic casket structure, parts or all of which are glass, or porcelain enamell such enameled structure having the quality of perma- 20 nently resisting deteriorating agencies to which burial vaults are subjected.

It is also an important object to construct a casket which Will preserve a body contained therein in a dry state, without the necessity of 25 enclosing such casket in an independent burial vault. i

It isa further object to provide a bed mounting casket base and vault base combined, to provide a casket lid and vault coverv combined,

3o and to provide a means hinging the lid and cover combination to the base combination, upon which hinge means said lid and cover combination is swung from ornamental body exposing position to air-sealed casket position.

35f It is also an object to construct such means for hinging in a manner and in such relation to the cover and base, that said means serves as a stop to restrict the opening movement of the cover and causes same to rest in the desired position.

40 The above and other objects are obtained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, of which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention shown with a part of the wall structure as torn 45 away.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of the device, illustrating the hinge means and the manner of constructing the bed support.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front side View of the 50 invention from the same point of View as Fig. 4, but illustrating the open appearance of the device.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken as in the proximity of line 4-4 of Fig. l, but "showing the de- 55 vice open.

Fig. 5 is a detailed View of certain hingeelements upon which the closing means of the invention are swung to closed position; and,

Fig. 6 is a detail cross-sectional view through a wall portion of the exterior lid of the invention 5 illustrating the enamel coating of same.

Similar characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the several views. Referring to Figures l to 5, both inclusiva, the nu-' meral l designates the base of the device which is 10 preferably formed of somewhat heavy sheet steel. Said base comprises a floor, 2, and a border wall structure, 3, which is conveniently provided by folding the edges of the'floor material into Yreenforcing; cross-sectionallyv triangular, formation. Y

" The side upright walls, 4, of the casket bed,

5, rest upon the floor, 2, to which they are secured, spaced from and parallel to the respective wall structure, 3, the sub-floor, 6, of the casket bed being spaced from the floor, 2, and secured to the casket walls, 4.

The casket bed lining, l, is supported on the floor, 5, and the outer folds, 8, thereof drape over the casket Walls, 4, when the device is in open, body-displaying position, such folds being conveniently tucked onto the bed, 5, preparatory to closing the device, as will be understood.

An inner ornamental lid, 9, is hinged outwardly of said casket bed to the rear wall thereof, the

hinged end, I0, thereof being somewhat offset from the lid proper, by which feature said lid is adapted to be swung into closed position as indicated by dotted lines, II, in Fig. 4, over the edge of the rearward casket bed wall.

The exterior casket lid, I2, has side Walls, I3, which normally rest edgeways upon the floor, 2, or in juxta-position thereto, entirely around the casket between the base walls, 3, and the casket bed, 5, the roof portion, I4, of said exterior lid being preferably curved downwardly when the lid is in closed position as indicated by dotted line, I5, in Fig. 4, and said side walls extending entirely about said casket and making an airtight closure in unity with said roof portion, as understood in the art of air-sealed burial vaults. When in open position, the side walls, I3, of said exterior lid are substantially horizontal and the ornamental lid, 9, being correspondingly open, is surrounded by the edge portion of said exterior lid, serving to conceal the hollowness thereof and give a massive appearance to the device as a whole.

Rearwardly of the casket bed, 5, said exterior lid is provided with hinge parts, I6, the axialcenter of which is over the respective space between the base wall structure, 3, and said casket bed, and at a distance from the respective extreme edge, I7, of said exterior lid. Horizontal hinge mating parts, I8, are pivoted to the hinge parts, I6, said horizontal parts extending inwardly and being conveniently secured to the casket bed', and lapping same downwardly into secured engagement with the floor, 2, in a re-enforcing manner. It will be understood that said exterior lid is swung from open to closed position on said hinge parts, and that when in open position the respective extreme edge portion of said exterior lid under-laps the hinge parts, I 8, which thus serves to restrict the opening movement of same and serves to stopl and maintain same in a suitable open position.

The rearward casket lifting handle bar, I9, is secured at normal height to the rearward wall of said exterior lid, as considered when said lid is closed Vas indicated by dotted lines, 2D, in Fig. 4. The front handle bar, 2I, however, is secured to the corresponding base wall structure, 3, and maintained at normal height by vertical-members, 2I, which may be constructed of any suitable width as considered in Fig. 1, to conceal the casket structure, a more or less amount as desired, and said members may incorporate a single plate shield without departing from the spirit and purpose of the invention, the object being to provide a structure of this class in which the lifting grasps on both sides of the casket are permanently 'attached to the base, to avert the danger of the licor-structure, accidentally swinging downwardly when the device is being carried.

The invention claimed is:

1. A combined casket and vault comprising a base having upwardly extending walls therearound, a casket supported on said base and having a space between the same and the upwardly extending walls and an outer vault lid hinged to the base between the casket and the upwardly extending wall and adapted to swing over the casket and be supported in a vertical position and a lid for the casket adapted to close the portion of the vault lid above the casket.

2. A combined casket and vault comprising a base having upwardly extending walls therearound, a casket supported on said base and having a space between the same and the upwardly extending walls, an outer vault lid hinged to the base between the casket land the upwardly extending wall and adapted to swing over the casket and be supported in a vertical position and a lid hinged to the casket and adapted to close the portion of the Vault lid above the casket.

3. A combined casket and vault comprising a base having upwardly extending walls surrounding the'same, a casket supported on the base with its bottom spaced from the base and from the side walls of the base, an outer vault lid resting upon the base and having side walls engaging the walls of the base and hinged at one side to the base and adapted to swing in a vertical plane and be supported on the upper edge of one side wall of the base, and a lid hinged to the casket and adapted to close that portion of the Vault lid above the upper end of the casket.

4. A combined casket and vault comprising a base, a casket supported on said base, a vault lid hinged to the base and adapted to swing over the casket and supported in a vertical position and a lid for the casket adapted to close that portion of the` vault lid above the casket.

5. A combined casket and vault comprising a base, a casket supported on said base, a vault lid hinged to the base and adapted to swing over the casket and supported in a vertical position and a pivoted lid for the casket adapted to close that portion of the vault lid above the casket.

JOHN CLARKE. 

